Embrace the Shadows

Note

Your set of Tablets should include all of the 22 Hebrew Letters, one blank Tablet, and one tablet with "El" on one side, and "Yah" on the other, for a total of 24 Tablets.

Also, you will need other sources of information to utilize this system. One of my sources is The Golden Dawn Journal: Book II: Qabalah: Theory and Magic, chapter one "The ABC's of Qabalah". This chapter has full mystical "definitions" of each Hebrew Letter. The second one, indispensable to every Ceremonial Magickian's library, is Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia, third edition. This book's sections on Gematria, and the Sepher Sephiroth are a necessity for this system.

Introduction

The Sepher Yetzirah tells us that the universe was Created when Divinity arranged the 22 Hebrew letters in a particular order. Indeed, we are told in a Jewish folk-tale of the letters themselves, each begging Yahweh to be the one that the Creation would happen through (the winner was, of course, Beth [B] hence the first word of Genesis Berashith).

We can see what all of this means when we look at the Hebrew Alphabet through a mystic's eyes. Each of the 22 letters is assigned to an elemental or astrological component of the universe. The energies of the 12 signs of the zodiac, the seven planets, and the three elements (remember that Earth is not a literal element) all compose the very fabric of existence. Further, each letter is also attributed to a Tarot Trump, and all of the deep mystical ideals contained therein.

Genesis I contains ten instances of "Elohim Said — "; these are the ten Sephiroth of the Tree of Life. However, these ten vessels of Divine Power would be useless without the 22 paths, each with a Letter attributed to it, that connect them and allow the Energy to flow. The paths, by the way, is exactly what the Sepher Yetzirah is referring to when it speaks of the arrangement of the Letters.

So, what does this mean for you and I? It means that those 22 Letters govern every aspect of our lives. If we could somehow divine how the Letters are arranged for us at any given time, then we could learn much about our lives and how to live them. We could ensure ourselves that we are traveling with the flow of Divine Energy, and not fighting the current. This, as you probably have heard, is the one cause of all pain in life. Pain vanishes once you learn to "go with the flow", and the true Adept has learned how to navigate along that flow.

You have certainly heard of one system that uses this idea: Astrology. All but three of the Hebrew letters are assigned to Zodiacal or Planetary forces. A great knowledge of Astrology is not necessary to use the system presented here, but you will need to know the basic correspondences between the letter and the Astrological Force it represents. However, it should be known that the more you understand Astrology, the better you will be able to use what I am going to be teaching you in this booklet.

Likewise the Tarot is another way of divining the arrangement of the Letters. The Golden Dawn Tarot Deck features the Hebrew Letters printed on each card for easy reference. You will need to know the basic correspondences of the Tarot to the Hebrew Letters to use this system. These attributions will be listed in the Appendix of this booklet.

This system will allow you to receive direct Divine messages pertaining to the aforementioned Flow. It will show you how the 22 letters are arranged in accordance with any object, idea, or situation, and then allow you to begin navigating that Flow.

"Every blade of grass has over it an Angel bidding it, 'Grow.'"
— Old Hebrew Legend

Now, to utilize this system, you must think of the Divine Source as being "Out There" somewhere. Personally, I am a firm believer in the Eminence of Divinity. However, this system does not deal with that Eminence. Instead, it deals with the process by which that Emanation occurs. This process is what Angelology is all about.

Think of Divinity, or the Divine Source, as a movie projector, and think of reality as a screen. Between the two are infinite rays of light, mixed with various shadows, that allow the picture to manifest in reality. These rays of light and shadow are the Angels.

An Angel, by the very definition of the word, is a Messenger. However, when viewed in this way, we see that they are far more than beings who carry news back and forth. In fact, Angels have no reality unto themselves. That is, not as winged beings flying through the air. An angel is simply the current of energy that extends from Divinity to finally reach the material plane and manifest in reality. It is neither separate from Divinity nor the object (or whatever) that is manifesting through it. That is the true meaning of the idea of "Messenger". It is also the true meaning of the idea of Guardian Angels. A Guardian Angel is not "appointed" to you to protect you. The Guardian Angel is you on a higher plane! This is why, and how, every blade of grass (and, indeed, everything in existence) has over it an angel bidding it, "Grow".

Have you ever wondered why so many Angelic Names end in "el" (Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, etc)? It is because of what the word "El" means. First, it is a Hebrew word for "Divinity" (or God). Therefore, Gabriel is the "Strength of Divinity" (Gebur + El = Gabriel). This name does not imply that Gabriel is separate from Divinity Itself. Instead, He actually embodies the Strength of Divinity. Further, there is also another reason. It involves exactly what the letters E and L mean. E (or A, it is the Hebrew Aleph) relates Power, as well as Benevolence. L (the Hebrew Lamed) means an extension, as well as a Guide. Therefore, El is appended to Angelic Names because Angels themselves are an extension of Divine Power. Again, think of that beam of light that extends from the Projector to touch the Screen. At the same time, they are also Benevolent Guides, and that is another aspect we will be dealing with later.

And so, in short, an Angel's Name is a magickal formula that sums up the particular "flavor" of Divine Energy that is manifesting in reality. In fact, each Letter of the Hebrew Alphabet is really an Angel by itself. Angelic Names (if composed of more than one letter) could be thought of as groups of Angels working together; much as you are actually a group of single-celled organisms that are working together to make "you". An angel is that arrangement of the Hebrew Letters that I discussed above.

Once we know that arrangement, it's True Name (now you know what that term really means as well), then we can give the energy a form that we can work with. Namely, an angel; it is harder to try to manipulate raw energy than it is to build up a thought-form body for the energy to work through, and then speak to that form directly. So, not only will this system give you Divine messages, but it will also give you the name of the Angel "set" over the object, idea, or situation. Then you can work with that Angel to affect it. As far as I know at this time, this is the only system of divination in existence that not only divines information and gives advice, but that also gives a direct method of working with the situation actively.

The Basic Method

Before I go on to explain this system, I'm going to give you a quick and easy way to use the Tablets. Now, I use the term "quick and easy" liberally here, as this method is done like a Tarot reading. Book T (the Tarot) is hardly "quick and easy". However, if you know how to give a basic Tarot reading, it is quicker and easier than the process I created these Tablets for.

This method is based on the fact that each of the 22 Letters is related to a Tarot Trump. The idea here is to simple draw one Tablet out of the bag at a time, and place them in a Tarot Spread pattern of your choice. Now, only a full Tarot deck can give in-depth readings; however, a simple, general reading can be done with just the Trumps. Also, with the Tablets, you are losing the graphic representations of the Cards, which are important as well. So, this method will be even more general than using the actual Trump Cards themselves. This does not invalidate the Tablets for this method, but you should be aware that this is no replacement for Tarot Cards.

If you use Ill-Dignified (reversed) cards in your spread (which I do not), you can determine this by the direction the Tablet is facing when you draw it. If it is face up, it is Dignified. If it is face down, then it is Ill-Dignified.

Also, make sure to remove the "El/Yah" stone before you begin, and to leave the blank stone within the set. The blank stone is the tablets' equivalent to "reply hazy, try again later". It is important to allow any system the margin of error that the blank stone provides.

Definitely use this method even after you learn the full system. The Tablets are sure easier to carry around, for "on the spot" readings, than the deck of Cards, and using them in this manner can't hurt for getting them charged with the proper energies.

Now, on to the full system. The first thing you must always do is open a channel between yourself and Divinity. Remember that you are asking for Angelic Names, and you have to ensure that you are getting the correct ones (rather than being fed false information by any passing spirit who wants your attention). Keep in mind that a good heart-felt prayer will always do in a pinch. Just remember that you must always invoke the Light with this prayer. The basic "God's neat, let's eat" just won't cut it here.

The prayer should be thought of as a simple alternative. The best way to accomplish your goal would be a short ritual designed to banish the area, protect it, clear your mind and sphere of sensation of unwanted influence, and finally evoke (and invoke) the balance and Divine Authority you will need to receive the Names. Of course, I am speaking about the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP). I would suggest performing this before any important reading.

Casting the Tablets

First of all, remove the El/Yah stone form the bag and set it aside. Clear your mind once more, and then concentrate on the situation. While you gently mix the stones in the bag, repeat over and over, like a mantra, "What are the Names of the Angels set over — ". Fill in, of course, with the name of the object, situation, idea, etc. When you feel it is time to stop, do so and pull out a handful of Tablets (whatever feels right in your hand at the time). Then, cast them down onto your table, the floor, your alter, or what-have-you.

I would suggest you get a book on rune-casting and see what it has to say on casting the Stones. Personally, I enjoy having a silver plate with a bed of sea salt in it. Further, this salt can have a circle drawn in it, as well as other symbols. These could be sigils or hieroglyphs relating to what you are asking about. For an object, simply draw a crude representation of that object in the salt (or the sand, or even on the piece of paper for that matter). If the point of the question is intangible, then create a sigil to represent it.

I know that I am telling you to study a lot of other material here. If you are a beginner, do not let this frighten you away from ceremonial magick or even this system of divination. There is enough information in this booklet to allow you to use this system. However, the more you know about all of the subjects I mention the better off you will be with this system and with your life. Think of this as a jumping-off point for your life long study, as I will give you many different areas that you should look into; areas that you will have to know about in the long run to be a ceremonial magician anyway.

To continue, you have now cast the Tablets. Let us assume that you received this pattern:

The first thing to note is the number of stones which you have cast. It is from this that you will know what Sephirah of the Tree of Life the Angel comes from. This, in turn, will tell you what Angelic Choir he is part of, as well as who all of his superiors are. Knowing these things are important for working magickally with the Angel.

This information is also included in an Appendix at the end of this text.

If the number of stones is between one and ten, then the Angel belongs to the corresponding Sephirah. Four stones would equal the fourth Sepherah, Chesed. If the number of stones exceeds ten, then you will add the two digits of the number together to derive the Sephirah. For instance, 15 stones would be 1 + 5 = 6 = the sixth Sephirah, Tiphareth. The ideas related to the Sephirah will now color the rest of the operation.

In this case, the number of stones is Seven, which relates to the Sephirah of Netzach, Victory. Netzach is the Sphere of Venus, and governs all things dealing with the emotions and passion. It is a very Fiery and forceful Sphere. Within can be found the passions of war just as easily as the passions of love and sex. It is this idea, Passion, that will color the rest of our divination.

Now, there are really two forces that the Tablets will indicate to us in the long run. That is to say, we will find the names of two Angels. One is the Angelic Force, the Angel of Mercy, the building-up force. This is the alignment of energies that is generally working for you in the situation. However, with experience, you will learn that this is not the whole case. The Angel of Mercy (taking a chance at sounding extremely redundant) is simply a building-up force. This does not, in and of itself, indicate "good" or "bad". It simply refers to anything that is forthcoming along the proper Flow of Divinity. However, the Flow is not always easy or fun. All of the trials and tribulations we experience are for a higher purpose. Therefore, this Angel of Mercy could just as easily indicate the forthcoming of the end of financial troubles as it could the forthcoming of a house fire. At any rate, the Angel of Mercy will rarely, if ever, indicate "bad" things. Just be aware that he can, at times, bring warnings of that nature, or indicate something that needs to happen for your betterment. Even if that something isn't much fun, or even painful.

The other force is the "Demonic" Force, the Angel of Destruction, the breaking-down force. These energies are normally the ones working against you. To fully utilize this system, a true understanding of the meaning of so-called "demonic" forces must be attained, and the information will be given at the proper time. However, right now we will concentrate only on the Angel of Mercy.

The Angel of Mercy

The Name of the Angel of Mercy is to be derived from the face-up stones. Being that he represents building-up forces, or Light, then we shall derive his name by a method consistent with his nature. Simply begin with the letter furthest to the left in the pattern, and then follow an inward spiral pattern, moving clockwise (see fig. 2)

From this, in our example, you would receive the word Yod Nun Aleph Heh, or Inah (remember that Hebrew is written right to left). This is not yet the Angel's name, but it is an important aspect of the operation; it is the divination itself. By analyzing this word, letter by letter, you will be given an overview of the nature of your situation, and the nature of the resulting Angel. Herein may lie any messages from the Divine; that is, any messages not to be delivered by the Angel himself.

Now we shall begin, keeping the concept of Passion in mind at all times, and seeing how it relates to all the concepts we shall divine. The following ideas were derived from The Golden Dawn Journal: Book II, as well as the already-mentioned correspondences for each letter.

Heh means "Window", and is related to sight. It is also related to life itself, as well as the sign of Aries. It represents a way of looking at life. It is a symbol of living life to it's fullest, creating new life, and being in control of events.

Aleph means "Ox", as well as being the expansive element of Air. It is benevolence, strength, courage, and power. It is basically a blind strength that is guided by Higher Powers.

Nun means "Fish", and is related to the watery Scorpio. It is movement and action, individuality and desire (especially of a sexual nature).

Yod means "Hand", and is related to Virgo and love. It is an Earth sign, and shows the physical taking into hand of a situation, done as a labor of love.

Now we relate all of these ideas into one cohesive whole. Knowing that the answer to our question involves our emotions (Netzach), we are told that we should recognize (Heh) both our inner strengths (Aleph) and our base desires (Nun). We should take them in hand, coordinate them (Yod), and then allow them to manifest in a controlled, yet powerful manner (Heh). Much like a harnessed laser beam of energy.

Thus is the message from Divinity. This is the nature of the Flow, and it is the alignment of forces that we should be in tune with. If you had done this yourself, you would have derived something different. Your intuition will guide you as you follow this operation. If this same word were to come up in another divination it would come to mean something different. You would draw a different number of stones, even if these same four were the only face up stones, giving you an angel from another Sephirah and Choir. Even if they somehow ended up being in the same order, it would ultimately be a different word.

However, I digress. The next step in the operation involves a system of Qabalistic numerology known as Gematria. This process is based on the fact that Hebrew letters also serve as numbers. In the case of our example: Heh = 5, Aleph = 1, Nun = 50, Yod = 10. You then add the numbers together for a sum of 66. Do not continue to add 6 + 6 as you would have done when deriving the number for the Sephirah of the Angel!

Now, locate the number 66 in the Gematria Source you have chosen to use (Godwin's Cabalistic Encyclopedia is the best I have found), as well as in Sepher Sephiroth (found in the same book), and see what other words and concepts have the same value. Mystically, all of these words are related. For our word we have 66.

The mystic number of the 11th path (between Kether and Chockmah; Aleph, Air). (Author's note: Also the Tarot Card the Fool)

The number of books in the Protestant Bible.

Atomic Number of dysprosium

Clio: Greek Muse of History

Dinhabah: A city of Edom

Yaven: Mire, miry

From Sepher Sephiroth:
The mystic number of the Qliphoth and of the Great Work.

Food, victuals

The Lord Thy God

A ship

A trial, an experiment

A wheel

A city of Edom

Depending on what the question is, you will see different relations between your situation and the above ideas. Some of the relations will be apparent right away, and some may elude you. Contemplation on the ideas may allow you to see the more obscure relationships. Of course, the deeper your mystical knowledge the better. For instance, what is the symbology of the Edomite Kingdoms? How would that relate to the question at hand? What (if you don't already know) is the Great Work, and how is your situation related to it? Again, Gematria is another subject to which you should devote study time.

You would now add these concepts to the over-all "definition" of the word we worked out earlier. This is the overall alignment of energies that will be embodied in the Angel him (or her) self.

Before you go any further, you will now employ the use of the El/Yah tablet that was set aside earlier. I have already explained the significance of the God-Name El appended to Hebrew Words to make Angelic Names. The Name Yah is basically the same thing, excepting that it is more forceful than El. Also, El can be added to Angelic or Demonic Names. Yah, however, can only be added to entities that are benevolent.

As I'm sure you have guessed, you will now flip the Tablet like a coin to see which one to append to your Hebrew word. The energies represented by the word will be more forceful and urgent if Yah should come up. Your next step is to add the numbers of the Name (El = 31, Yah = 15) to the Word and then start the Gematria process once more. This will expand the divination all the more, and tell you a little about the Angel himself.

Let's assume that El wins the toss for our word. The resulting Angelic Name would be Leinah. Written left to right, and transliterated, that would be Haniel. For those of you who are up on the Qabalah, you will know that this is the Archangel of Netzach (the very Sephirah we are working with). However, I want to make a very important point; the names you obtain with this system will generally not be the names of Archangels. They will more likely be the names of Angels. I say "generally", and "more likely" because there may yet be a way to derive Archangelic Names via this system. At this time, I will leave that up to you. If you are a beginner, do not attempt to contact Archangels in this way. Learn what you are doing before you attempt to work with currents of energy that intense.

Now, once we add 31 to the number of our word, we have the number 97. Take time out now to look up the other words and concepts that have this number. What could they tell you about a situation? What do they tell you about Haniel himself? By way of example, why would Haniel like, be, or at least wear the color yellow? Why would you say that he has a very adamant personality?

As before stated, an Angel is nothing more than a man-made picture that we assign to currents of Divine Energy. We then take these anthropomorphic images and build them up in our minds, associating them with the energies they represent. The result is a living thought-form. A God, an Angel, etc.

Study the concept of Talismatic Imaging in sources such as Israel Regardie's The Golden Dawn and an article by Adam Forrest in The Golden Dawn Journal: Book II called This Holy Invisible Companionship. These writings will explain to you how the image of an Angel is constructed from the letters of It's Name, so that the image is aligned properly to the Forces it represents.

Now, take that information and create a picture of Haniel. What did you come up with? You will probably notice that the nature of the question would ultimately alter how you would make him look, just as it would alter the "definition" we came to before.

Thus, you now know what the Angel of Mercy looks like. You know his name. If you look into the art of making sigils, you can also make a sigil to represent him. The sigil (and/or the Name itself) could be inscribed on objects for different purposes. Once you are familiar with an entity, the possible ways of working with that entity are endless. As far as Divination goes, the next big step would be to contact this Angel and see what he has to say to you concerning the situation.

Up to this point, you have the system as I originally created it, and then some. The idea was to make a Rune-like system, simply replacing the Norse Runes with Hebrew Letters. Along with this, naturally, came the idea of using Gematria to expand on the castings. It was later that I was inspired to turn it into a system of Angelology.

The system can be used as you have it now, even without turning the word into an Angel. I will not be giving you instructions on evoking the Angel, and I especially will not relate to you any method of invoking the entity. Until you become proficient with the system, and only then if you do everything correctly, should you attempt any such operations. Obtain the books I have mentioned thus far and study them for instructions geared in that direction.

The Angel of Destruction

Now that you have all of the basics, the remaining operations are simple. As any Adept will tell you, every coin has two sides. To deal with only one side of the coin and neglect the other is harmful in the long run. Beginners will learn to work with one side before they deal with the other, but they will learn both angles before they are through. Likewise, now that you have learned to divine the Angel of Mercy, you will now learn how to derive the Angel of Destruction.

You may ask why we would even wish to do this, beyond the idea related in the last paragraph. The reason is a simple one. Most of the time, divinations are not done when things are going right. It is well known that the majority of people don't call on their Gods until things get rough. Likewise, you are most probably not asking a question based on the actions of an Angel of Mercy. Don't get me wrong, there are countless reasons to contact the Angel and work with him in order to alter the material plane (whatever aspect of that plane the Angel represents). However, if there is something going wrong, then knowing the Angel of Destruction (sometimes called a "Demon") set over the problem can help. Once you know who he is, you can then work to banish him. Likewise, you can invoke the power of his corresponding Angel of Mercy against him.

Also, the same goes for this Angel as it did for the Angel of Mercy. This Angel is a breaking-down force. It represents things that are going away. Most of the time this Name will relate to forces aligned against you. However, he could represent the exit of a problem as easily as he could the exit of a good situation. The catch (just like the Angel of Mercy) is that he always represents forces going against the Flow. Remember those necessary trials and tribulations I mentioned earlier? If something came along and ended them prematurely it would not be good for you in the long run. It would only serve to set you up for greater pain at a later date. This would be governed by an Angel of Destruction.

Perhaps I am beating the point to death, but I wish to give an example here that I feel is quite helpful in understanding the above. Suppose that a friend is sick and you wish to help heal him. You could Divine the Name of the Angel set over your friend's good health. The Angel of Destruction, then, would be set over your friend's bad health. However, suppose you, instead, asked for the Angel set over your friend's sickness? Then, the Angel of Destruction would be set over the cure for that sickness! You can see how this example tears down the conventional (and ill-conceived) concepts of the Angel being "good" and the Angel of Destruction being "bad".

You may have noticed that I shy away from calling these entitles "demons". I do not even think of them as "Rebel Angels", even though the concept of them working against the Flow would facilitate this. As far as I am concerned, all Angels work for Divinity. Divinity is not just Light, but it is the Darkness as well. Divinity is All, and nothing truly "rebels" against it. If it happens, regardless of our mortal labels of "good" and "bad", then it is of Divinity and part of the Great Plan (if there even is one). It is the Angels of Destruction who are set over your trials. They are also set over change. For anything to change, the Flow has to be altered. Light can not alter the path of Light, it would only serve to strengthen the path as it exists. Therefore, an Angel of Destruction is sent in to turn the tide. So, you see that both sides are necessary, and that the universe could not exist without them operating together.

In the long run, you may refer to these entities as Demons if you wish (and you may have noticed that I do refer to this energy as Daemonic energy as opposed to Angelic). Especially if your spiritual beliefs incorporate Fallen Angels as such. The idea embodied in them is the same, but I would have you be aware of the misconception that these entities have been operating under for centuries. This makes them even more dangerous to deal with, and I would suggest not dealing with them at all until you have mastered the system up to this point.

Also, it would only help you to contact the Angel of Mercy first and procure his promise of aid in dealing with the Angel of Destruction. The result would be a fail-safe assurance of your total safety. If anything went wrong, you would only need to call on the Angel of Mercy and he would come, and there would be absolutely nothing the "Demon" could do against you or him. Remember that Darkness can not diminish Light what-so-ever, but a single spark of Light can banish an entire room of Darkness.

However, all of that goes beyond what this book will teach you, as I will not teach evocation here. You can use the full system as given for the Angel of Destruction as well; as there will be Divine Messages there on what to avoid, just as there is advice on what to do with the Angel of Mercy. This is the basic reason for this half of the divination, and is completely safe.

As you have surely guessed by now, the Angel of Destruction is to be derived from the face down stones. Just as you used an invoking (building-up) whorle for the Angel of Mercy, you will use just the opposite for the Angel of Destruction. Begin with the face-down stone furthest to the right, and follow an inward, counter-clockwise spiral (see Figure 4).

Let us now assume that the letters we received were (right to left) Mem Daleth QOPH. If the blank Tablet is present in your casting, it will be apparent at this point. Do not discard it until after you have counted the total stones in the casting to derive the proper Sephirah. Then it can be set aside as it has no bearing on the Names. As for the Name of the Angel of Destruction, I will not repeat the method at all here, but see if you can tell how I derive the following:

The message here is to avoid arrogance and a swelled head. Do not overuse any authority that you may have, or use it in the wrong way. Be careful of an unbalanced mind; do not sway from one path to the other and back again. Make double sure to stay on the straight and narrow middle path, and watching out for enemies that may be hiding along the way. Know that these "enemies" are not new to you, but that they are problems that have been with you for a time. Perhaps they have been with you for a very long time, perhaps only since the conception of the problem. In either case, they are not new problems, or enemies, that will be born along the way. Do be on the watch, however, as you may not yet know they are there. If you are taken by them, you will certainly know that you should have seen them coming. If these forces are allowed to come into play, they will cause you to lose your footing in finance, the home, etc, and hinder your material success. Remember that this is all colored by Netzach, so it is your desires and passions that will get you into trouble if left unchecked. Your enemies will attack you through those channels; perhaps through temptation, or perhaps through something such as anger or sex.

Next you would add El to the end of the word to transform it into the name of an Angel. Remember that Yah can not be added to the Name of an Angel of Destruction, so you will not need the El/Yah Tablet. The Angel himself, Qedemel, will be very proficient at making you slip off of the path you are attempting to tread. He can tempt you too far in the ways of passion, making them obsessions instead.

Finally, you can create an image of him, and then employ banishing techniques to destroy his influence. I suggest the I.O.B Technique outlined in Mr. Kraig's Modern Magick. I have had the most wonderful success with this exorcism, and it is relatively safe. However, I will say this: If you employ this technique, do not stop the operation mid-way. Once you give the Daemon life, in order to destroy it, it will be stronger and more able to reek havoc in your life.

Always continue on and destroy the entity before disengaging. I say this because Mr. Kraig's technique involves calling your own inner-demons (such as your hate, anger, etc) to get rid of them.

Also, I am well aware that some of you will use this system of divination to do the very same thing. Right now those inner-demons are lifeless, vague concepts (that is, if they are not already living thought-forms that are controlling your life). When you employ the I.O.B you will be lending the Daemon much raw power for a short time, as you give it a physical body that can then be effectively hammered on. I believe enough has been said on that subject, even though it could never be stressed enough. Mr. Kriag has his own warnings concerning the operation that should be heeded as well.

And that is about it. If this system seemed complicated during the explanation, you can now see that it is not at all. The entire divination can be written up on one page. To complete, I am now going to give you one more step to the operation. This step should be done before you begin to analyze the letters of the words, but it can be done after you have derived the respective words themselves. Also note that it is definitely to be done before adding El or Yah to either word.

The Final, First, Step

This step will give a very general overview of the situation before you actually get deep into the divination. It involves both sides of the coin, rather than being one sided. First derive the proper Sephirah so that it can color the outcome. Then, separate the Tablets into their respective words; one for the Angel of Mercy, and one for the Angel of Destruction.

Now, where you would normally begin to analyze each word letter by letter, figure up their Gematria values instead. Then, add those two values together and look up the correspondences.

In our example, we have one word equaling 66, and the other equaling 144, for a total of 210. Why would you say that the situation as it stands does not bode well? Why might there be conflict rushing into the situation at a very fast pace? Why might this problem involve some kind of rash act of passion (as in the term "a crime of passion")? Why might it also show a fall forthcoming, preceded by an over-exertion of force on the part of the fallen? Why might it also be related to something that has become an obsession? And how is it related to a choice? And, finally, why would you say that disengaging the situation, to pass it by or fly from it, might be bad advice? Would you have known whether it was good or bad advice before you analyzed the Angels' Names?

After this groundwork has been laid, you can then proceed with the divination to expand on the idea and find advice on what to do, and what not to do, in the situation. As you can see, this step is more for true divinations than it is for simply finding the Names of the Angels set over objects that you wish to affect.

Another Method: A General Life Reading

You can also use the Tablets without asking anything in particular. This method is used to simply send out a psychic radar of sorts, to see what is out there for you. It will tell you how the 22 Letters are aligned in your life at any given time. Of course, this is no replacement for a good Astrological Charting or Tarot Reading. However, both of those, when done in that magnitude, are generally for your whole life, and should only be done once a year at the most. This, on the other hand, is a lot more basic, and could be done once a day if you felt the need.

Begin by casting all 22 lettered Tablets at once. You will not need the blank stone or the El/Yah stone. After casting them, separate them into the two different words and proceed as normal with Gematria, etc. Obviously, you will not add the total Gematria of both words together as it would always be the same number; nor would you attempt to derive the Sephirah (which would always be 22 =2 + 2 = 4). If you need the Sephirah at all, it will always be Kether.

Now, analyze each word letter by letter. This will be very generalized; It would be best to look at it astrologically for the most part. Knowing that the forces of (let us say) Aries, Gemini, Water, Mercury, etc are working for you, and that Cancer, Virgo, Saturn, The Moon, etc are working against you will tell you much. You can then expand it into the Tarot correspondences for advise. If the Emperor is working against you, then beware of your boss. Or, perhaps, beware of being too dominant yourself. With Gemini working for you, it would be a good day to make some partnerships. The possibilities are nearly endless; I believe the proper formula for the number of possible combinations is 22 to the twenty second power!!

If there is some need, the words can then be made into Angels and worked with just as described already.

Some Special, and Rare, Occurrences

If you are adept enough at the Hebrew language, keep an eye out for actual Hebrew words that may come up. Take a major note of it if it is spelled forwards (right to left). If it is spelled backwards, then the meaning will be contrary to it's normal definition. For instance, if the word for "love" (Beth Heh Aleph) were to appear as Aleph Heh Beth, then you could expect to see very little love in your divination, it not out-right hate. If your intuition allows you to see one scrambled up, then take note as if it were spelled forward, only it's affect is of a lesser degree than if spelled correctly.

If you were to get a one letter Name by any chance, it is still valid. As I said before, each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is an Angel unto itself. If you receive a single-lettered Angel you would strive to look very deeply into what that letter represents, rather than diluting it with meanings of other letters as you would normally do. Also, you would still add El to it when that time of the divination comes.

If, by some chance, you should receive no Angel of Mercy, or no Angel of Destruction, it simply means that the energies involved in the situation are at an extreme arch to one side or the other. Neither case is good in the long run, and the message is that work needs to be done to balance the situation. Too much of the Angel of Mercy can be "too much of a good thing". For instance, Mercy carried too far becomes complacency and surrender.

You may ask, what about if I am making a lot of money, and I do a reading on it that has no Angel of Destruction? The answer is this: Think of the universe as a pendulum. It will swing back and forth until it reaches it's balance point. If you receive no "Demon" on a reading pertaining to positive money flow, then that means you are very far into the money-making arch of the swing, and you can look forward to a visit to the extreme other side of that arch real soon. You will soon be losing (or, at least, not making) as much money as you are earning now. However, if you work to slow that arch and bring it gently into the middle resting position, you will never have to go into the other side of the arch at all. You will not be making as much money as you are now, but you will continue to earn, and you will not have to lose a dime.

As for there being no Angel of Mercy, I don't believe much has to be said on the need to invoke the operation of the Light as quickly as possible. However, the good news in a situation such as this is that you are most definitely at the high-point of the negative arch, and things will soon begin to look up on their own, as the cosmic "arm" begins to swing the other way. Then you will only have to beware of swinging back into the negative later.

Appendix A: The Hebrew Alphabet and It's Correspondences

Name

Trans.

Sound

Number

Tarot Trump

Aleph

Ox

A, E

1

Fool

Beth

House

B, V

2

Mage

Gimel

Camel

G, Gh

3

High Priestess

Daleth

Door

D, Dh

4

Empress

Heh

Window

H

5

Emperor

Vav

Nail

W

6

Hierophant

Zain

Sword

Z

7

Lovers

Cheth

Fence

Ch

8

Chariot

Tet

Serpent

T

9

Strength

Yod

Hand

Y, I, J

10

Hermit

Kaph

Fist

K, Kh

20

Wheel of Fortune

Lamed

Ox Goad

L

30

Justice

Mem

Water

M

40

Hanged Man

Nun

Fish

N

50

Death

Samekh

Prop

S

60

Temperance

Ayin

Eye

O

70

Devil

Pe

Mouth

P, Ph

80

Tower

Tzaddi

Fish-hook

Tz

90

Star

Qoph

Ear

Q

100

Moon

Resh

Head

R

200

Sun

Shin

Tooth

S, Sh

300

Judgment

Tau

Cross

T, Th

400

Universe

Appendix B: The Tree of Life and It's Angelic Hierarchies

Sephirah

Trans.

Archangel

Angelic Choir

Kether

Crown

Metetron

Chaioth haQodesh

Chockmah

Wisdom

Ratziel

Auphanim

Binah

Understanding

Tzaphkiel

Aralim

Chesed

Mercy

Tzadkiel

Chashmalim

Geburah

Severity

Khamael

Seraphim

Tiphareth

Beauty

Michael

Malachim

Netzach

Victory

Haniel

Elohim

Hod

Splendor

Raphael

Beney Elohim

Yesod

Foundation

Gabriel

Ashim

Malkuth

Kingdom

Sandalphon

Kerubim

Divinatory Meanings

Chockmah: Wisdom and Initiation of Force

Binah: Understanding and Firmly directed Force

Chesed: Mercy and the Settling of Force

Geburah: Severity and Ultimate Success or Failure

Tiphareth: Beauty and Definite Accomplishment, Healing

Netzach: Desire, Passion, and Result which depends on an action yet to the taken